Illuminate
by Lunamaria
Summary: We'll illuminate this blank canvas, and make in vibrant with love. – Kaiora


_Shall we light up the sky?_"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
ILLUM**i**NATE  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

kaior**a**

— ·· for that awesome girl we call **binki**

"**What** the–" His eyebrows rose, examining her closely- so _this_ was the girl who'd just arrived on the islands... He blinked a few times, as if trying to wake himself. His eyes moved up and down the girl, sparing no mercy. Her vermilion hair was short at her cheeks, and her hands on her hips, perhaps trying to convey some form of rebellion, or attitude. His silver hair crossed over his intricate aquamarine eyes, not yet intimidated. His best friend, right hand _boy_, at his side duplicating with perfection what his silver friend had just done. Their eyebrows crawled up like caterpillars.

"–heck is that?" Sora finished Riku's sentence, as if the two shared a brain— _who knows?_ Sora followed in his friends' gestures still, a natural instinct, after being instant friends since almost birth. Riku poked Sora with his elbow, leaning in with a whisper.

"...I _think_— it's a _girl_. "Sora threw a look at Riku in disbelief, as if to yell out 'pfftt', continuously screaming out 'NO! IMPOSSIBLE!' But he was smarter, unlike his crass friend, who wouldn't know any better, nor care.

Still, Sora couldn't help but lean into whisper. "I don't think so." A laugh burst from Riku, echoing through the swaying palms under the soft wind. His high laugh reached the copper haired _girl _before them; there was no doubt about it. Riku's skepting eye kept up and down the girl, taking an odd notice to her apparel; she wore a white dress with little cut out stars on the bottom, and quickly noted that white doesn't look good on redheads, especially not ugly redheads.

She wrapped her arms across her chest, pouting. "**What do you think you're laughing at**?!" Riku wasn't wise enough to cut his laughter, but went so far as to increase. There were a few moments of continued laughter, which is until– Riku had the wind knocked out of him. Sora, who had began to slightly giggle, stopped. This _thing _had punched Riku in the stomach ('pfftt. IMPOSSIBLE!'). **Not Riku**! Sora cringed while he watched the girl knock her tiny fist into the middle of Riku's waist.

Sora scowled at Riku, whining. "I told you _it _wasn't a _girl_!" He turned to Riku. Riku held his stomach with a glare. The girl before him threw them a smirk. What a picture, Riku holding his stomach and Sora dreading he was the next on her hit list. Sora quickly stepped away from Riku holding down on his shirt, keeping his lips in a straight line.

Riku stood and marched up to the girl. "You— you," he stopped for a second. "**Whatever**the_hell_youare!"He jumbled it into a large breath, not even bothering to make it more than one word. The girl balled her fist up once more. She punched him. Again. This time in the face. Sora looked at her in awe. Then he threw his arms up, like he was warding off evil. However, any comical thrill he received dissipated. Tears welled up in her eyes.

It wasn't about Riku holding his stomach anymore, or how when he flared his mouth to growl that there was now a tooth missing.

One slid down her cheek. It stained her dress. "Hey—"Sora began.

"**I hate you**!" She screamed. He screamed; she jammed his foot under her hers, crashing it into the clean sands. Before he could say anything. She ran off. He could no longer see her. He looked down to see Riku whining over the tooth he'd lost.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
i hate you, sora  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was already nighttime and most of the island children had already rowed back to the main island. Sora, however stayed behind after kicking around in the sand by himself for the past hour. He was now sure that _it _had to be a girl, because she looked too cute when she cried to be a boy. Or an _it_, for that matter. He kicked the sand all the way up the peek of the eroded edge of the island. Cobalt and streaks of aqua streamed the sky in patterns that were from the heavens, as the sun touched down on the sea, flooding orange into the palettes of blue. He gently smiled, watching the intermediary of both night and day fade off into night, arising lady moon, herself, and Aurora to wrap her obsidian cloak of night into the sky. It was already summer, he remembered feeling the warm breeze filter through palms, and to ruffle his chestnut spikes.

He set his sapphire eyes straight, moving his gaze to the side, to see the opening of the cave that he'd discovered just three days before. He hadn't even told Riku yet. Was he even planning to? He just shrugged. With nothing better on his mind, Sora began his way, as short as he was, fitting almost perfectly through the rabbit hole. The six year old, pushed his way through the darkness, and noticed that as he entered the thicket that moonlight shone through in it's own luminous line.

He also was surprised to hear faint sniffles, arising from the caves edge. He blinked once. Twice. Light sounds. Curiosity rushed into his blood, drawing him further to the noises arousing from within the dark opening. He swallowed hard, a lump in his throat. He could only wonder, the child that he was, what insidious, treacherous fate awaited him? Frightening fates that could only be conjured in the mind of a child shot back, even as he thrust them to the back of his head. He was going to be stabbed by Riku's pointy hair, or go deaf from listening to torturous hours of Selphie Tilmit's obsessive talking, rambling on for no reason, or be suffocated by Wakka's blitz-ball. Perhaps these were only horrors that Sora could imagine, but somehow he was sure something monstrous in that cave awaited him.

Despite his roaming fears, he urged his trembling body forward, intently listening to the faint of sniffles that would bring untold doom. His fingers lingered on the rough edges of the thicket, tactilely feeling his way about the cave, plunging into dangers, he was sure.

While he stumbled along by memory, he almost made it to the end, and the sniffles grew gradually louder. Sora froze and the sniffling ceased. He breathed in the sweet, but unusual scent of vanilla, and moved his hand around. Feeling smooth skin beneath his hand, he felt up the cheek of the form, feeling moisture— tears. He just realized who it was.

"You…" He mumbled out, feeling a gradual weight fall onto his heart. The girl didn't move. He finally had the chance to look at her; a well size crack had been forming on the roof of the cave, letting cut out patterns of moonbeams shine in. Her looked at her carefully, making sure to look over every part of the _girl_ before him. "Uh, you know **girl** (he made sure to emphasize), under the moonlight you really do look like a girl." Still, she said nothing. She only placed an ill-temper look on her face.

"I'm sorry," He said, swallowing. "I didn't mean to make you cry, and Riku, he's not so bad— just **stupid**." A crooked smile tipped onto her cheeks; amused, but unsure.

"It's not that." Her voice came out as a timid whisper, a complete foil from earlier, when she'd met him on the beach.

Sora began, but stopped himself, not meaning to pry. The vermilion haired girl before him didn't seem to mind. She just shrugged, turning to Sora, giving him the most honest eyes he'd ever seen in his life.

"My mom died." Sora went silent, as Kairi let on to why she was distressed.

"Sorry," he whispered. She shook her head; it wasn't his fault.

"That's why we came here, I guess, to get away from the dark things with no hearts. I don't remember much else." It went silent for many moments, forcing Kairi's patience to come to a halt, but she flinched as Sora happily grabbed her hand, as if she mattered to him. He gently, but quickly hurried her over to the other side of the cave.

Kairi, puzzled, blinked. "Uh—··" he picked up her hand and placed something cold, hard into her fingers. She saw the faint of it through the light that illuminated through the crack of the cave and mentally she noted to thank the moon & the stars.

"—A rock?" She giggled. This boy was strange, stupid, and clueless and everything she'd ever hoped for, propped upon her mothers lap telling her what her prince would be like. He grinned sheepishly bringing untold warmth into her heart.

"So, what's your name?" Sora began to etch spikes, and shapes onto the cave wall.

"Kairi." She eventually caught on and led her own, well-formed rock onto spikes, curves, and slopes, forming a picture.

"I'm Sora, okay? Kairi- that's a pretty name, _for a girl_, and you can come to the cave anytime. Or I guess… It's **our** cave now." He finished his own sketch, triumphantly. The two shifted back on their knees to sit on the cave floor to look at the carved creations. Sora's face dropped as Kairi began to giggle, and Sora's eyebrows went to form a V. "I made you look like a **blowfish**." He grimly looked at Kairi's etching that was near perfect, pouting because it actually looked like him.

"That's okay," Kairi poked at Sora's side, beckoning his eyes on her. "See," She smiled widely. "I'm not crying anymore. PLUS! I love blowfish!"

From that time on as the two played in the cave, illuminated by the moon and stars (or was it they who truly illuminated the cave?), a special bond was formed. For the next years, the cave they cleverly titled the "Secret Place," had become the canvas of two hearts that would intertwine forever.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
i love you, kairi  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Stop it, Riku!" Laughed Kairi, pushing Riku, shoving him away. "That's not funny!" She worked her best efforts at ridding Riku from tickling her. As soon as the redhead began to close her hand to a fist, Riku stopped, with memories from years ago. Kairi had developed along quite beautifully.

"I surrender." Riku pulled his hands up, and then whispered. "_Whateverthehellyouare_." Silence filled up, before the two began to spark with laughter once more. They both sunk down into the sand, until their laughter faded down. The two went silent with only the subtle song of the island, and the singing of the birds to capture their ears. The swift sound of the ocean flooded up and down the brown sands of Destiny Islands, the place where they had so desperately wanted to leave; the three of them. Once they got their wish, things changed, and then all they ever wanted was to see the brown sands, the green palms and blue skies of the island once more.

Why had they wanted to leave so badly, Kairi wondered. Was it to be free? Was it to prove something? Reasons were not clear, and perhaps would never reveal themselves. She shifted her fingers, sifting them through the sand, and then watching it slip through her fingers, much like Sora had. The sand was gone, and all there was, was silence and a memory.

Kairi took a deep breath in, inhaling the wind, and then released it. Both Riku and Kairi stared at the sky, as if none of it had happened. They were in ignorance for only a moment ,before Kairi spoke lightly. "Riku, where do you suppose Sora is?" It was quiet again, only the rustling of the palms. Riku slid his eyes to the side to avoid Kairi for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. He watched the sky again, and for several moments more, the two didn't speak.

"Off on some important Keyblade master business I'm sure." Riku frowned, turning his aquamarine eyes to Kairi, saddening. "But, hey, Kairi, I'm sure he misses you." Her lips didn't tip up, neither amused nor unsure. She only nodded, watching the sun bleed onto the see and sky, and the clouds paint across the sky, so utterly carefree. So utterly carefree. A few seagulls played in the sky, making her smile, as she sat up, whispering to herself. "I hate you, Sora."

Again, the only noise was that of the palms, the ocean, and the birds.

_& down…!" _

Another year, another promise unfulfilled. She watched the small, delicate star in her hand, and she resisted the urge to thrash it into the ocean. It was so perfectly rounded, but looked so lonely, she decided, playing with the end of the malachite leaf that clung to the stars tip. Oh, so lonely, it looked, as if it were mirror of herself. She tugged on it lightly, as not to disconnect it from the star, as she sat at the feet of the ocean. It swept onto her feet, and Kairi finally decided. She placed the star, the destiny she was slowly losing, into the next wave, and she watched it sail off into the blue. The water under her touch was cold, and she watched the star sink, and it went further & further into oblivion.

& down… & down… & down…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
oh, so lonely  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A compulsory dark cloud sifted into the crystal skies, pulling the sun away, preparing for night. How many nights had she stood at the shoreline of the ocean like this? How many nights had she cried (& cried & cried) until the ocean was no match for her? How many nights had she dreamed, and prayed that fate would for once be fair to her? How many nights had she imagined unfathomable chestnut spikes swept against her cheek because Sora held her so tight? How many nights did she have to pretend she didn't care, and that she was certainly okay…?

The answer, she was afraid, would stretch on until galaxies were before her and all she could do is wait. She was afraid her young age of seventeen would soon enough stretch to seventy-nine, waiting along the shore with wrinkled hands and seldom faith. A bleeding heart, she was afraid, would remain into her last breath, because he was off saving the world, so then– how on earth would her world dare compete?

She hummed along with the ocean, ah, the ocean, it soothed her mind as it beat against the shore with ease. She watched the sky once more, watching the deep coal oblivion that encompassed everything. She (the sky) held every world, every moon, every ocean, in the palm of her hand, so carefully and so beautifully.

She listened to the ocean for many more moments, as it played its solo; it's sonata. Every breaking wave was a gasp to the shore, and a note to her ears. Her mind was empty again. It felt like Sora had died. A big nothing swirled patterns through her mind, as she thoughtlessly replayed memories and random things in her head. Of all the things, she remembered the cave, oh how silly they had been. _So carefree_.

"Hey, Sora," Kairi spoke to the sky, doubting that he could ever hear. "You know what they say, don't you?" No reply, but she talked on as if he had been there to seep his boyish smile into her heart, ruffling his hair, leaping from the sand, going 'What Kairi? What do they say?'

"Well," Kairi laughed. "They say that if a lucky shooting star shoots by, then your wish will come true!" No reply, but she continued on with her rusty faith and her vanishing hope anyhow. "I've never seen a shooting star before, but I know what I would wish for her."

'_What Kairi?'_ He would've said.

A Secret. Close. To. My. Heart.

And the most amazing thing happened, Kairi gasped, watching the sky closely as though she had mistaken. Then, it happened again. Stars began to blink past her eyes, a rain of stars… a starSHOWER! Kairi was speechless as she watched the stars fall in front of her, and her heart had grown with utter excitement. One star. One star, she chose, the star to be her lucky wishing star. It was bigger and longer than the rest, and with one deep breath, she cried out with all the was in her.

"SORA!" Her dearest wish was, and would always be, Sora. A Secret. Close. To. My. Heart.

Her star went cascading, splashing roughly, yet cleanly into the ocean. She held her hands clasped to her heart, watching the ocean grow slightly still. It was only until her star came splashing out that she thought she would die. She was quiet when she watched it, standing there, wet. Her eyes narrowed out, eyeing the boy in the water. Not until a cheeky grin came across his lips did she, without thinking it through, run into the ocean with all that was in her.

It wasn't until that she was in his arms, with so much force they both went thrashing under the water, with the moon's reflection above them, that she fully realized the gravity of what was at hand. She did her best to pull his lips to hers under the water, but couldn't reach him due to lack of air. Sora went straight up, pushing on his feet, grabbing Kairi's wrists.

It was silent. No birds, no ocean, and no winds rustling through palms to flood into their ears. They stared at one another for quite some time, not sure what to do. Kairi pulled her hands to her eyes, beginning to let tears from her eyes, choking on her sniffles. "**I hate you, sora**." She cried, for what seemed like millenniums until she was in the arms of the silly boy who couldn't carve. She was in the embrace of the happy boy who wouldn't let her cry, the boy who was so utterly and undeniably perfect, in her heart. & That's all that mattered.

"You don't think I would let you sit alone on the eleventh anniversary of our meeting, did you, silly?" He held her tighter.

"**I hate you, sora**."

Finally, he released her from his no longer awkward arms, and they paused to look at each other once more. All the while, as the two soaked up the limelight, the scene around them was oh so bright; with the shooting of the stars, and the shining of the moon, it illuminated the two.

As Sora finally, as Kairi had always wished, brought their lips together, to capture a love that started on a blank canvas, in a cave, with the **promise of the world** eleven years ago.

& How their kiss was illuminated, oh, but how it was they who truly **illuminated** they sky above them. It was amazing how colorful their canvas had turned out to be.

"I know,"

"**I love you too, Kairi**."

— ·· L u n a m a r i a

Hey, there, as it is already known this is for the awesome BINKI! ILU.  
You've no idea how long this took me to write. This started in April & I sort of lost inspiration for it, but I got it back & I hope you like it. I love you Bianca, and I hope you like this. & also for **Grain-Rain Skies** writing challenge.  
Well, then I must be off, and thanks for reading.

By the way, readers, if you know about X-men Evolution, how would you guys feel about a Selphie x Toad one shot?

**ILUBINKI**.  
© Disney, Squaresoft. I own **nothing**.


End file.
